


Un Nuovo Inizio

by Ttiiggeerr



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Blame Google Translate, Complete, Domestic Fluff, Falling In Love, Fluff, Gardens & Gardening, Happy Ending, Harry Potter Epilogue What Epilogue | EWE, I completely butcher Italian, Idiots in Love, Italian severus, Italy, M/M, New Beginnings, Romance, Severus speaks Italian, Slice of Life, Wine, m/m - Freeform, romantic severus, snarry
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-01
Updated: 2020-09-11
Packaged: 2021-03-06 07:01:23
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 15,487
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25639192
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ttiiggeerr/pseuds/Ttiiggeerr
Summary: Severus is given the opportunity to go back to the living after Nagini's bite. He and Harry build their relationship with a better understanding of each other and Harry joins him when he moves back to his home in Italy. Updates every Friday at 7:30 CST!
Relationships: Harry Potter/Severus Snape
Comments: 46
Kudos: 199





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.

Severus stared at the green eyes in front of him as he accepted his fate. His job was done. He had done it. He had protected Harry Potter for as long as he was able to. He had expected to die, but he hadn't expected the Dark Lord's damn snake to kill him. He deserved a peaceful death for all the trouble he's gone through all these years. No matter. He could feel his hold on the mortal world slipping quickly and he breathed his last. 

An incredible amount of light from the other side of his eyelids made him get up. Everything around him was pure white, but that didn't stop him from recognizing the playground he used to haunt when he was a child. He looked around and found that he wasn't particularly happy with the way his stark black robes looked next to all the white. He didn't keep track of how long he was there, he simply sat on a swing and thought about his life. 

He had given everything to the cause. He grew up an abused child with an alcoholic father, turned to the wrong people when they reached out a kind hand and threw away his best friend in the process. Only then had he realized the severity of his mistakes in trusting the wrong people and by then it was too late. He was marked, searching for information, and well on his way to getting a position at Hogwarts like he was ordered to do. His master would be pleased that he had overheard the prophecy, and would hopefully hold off on the curses for the information. It wasn't until he learned that the prophecy spoke of his only real friend that he realized he didn't know how much he had truly messed up-once again. 

He would go to Dumbledore. Dumbledore would have his answer. He would either ensure he was put in Azkaban, safe from the neverending curses and madmen, or he would provide a quick and swift end to this misery he called life. 

To his astonishment, Dumbledore offered him something much better. Safety in exchange for him spying. He could do anything and get away with it, all because he was honour bound to ensure the cause had the information they needed. From then on his life was snot-nosed kids who couldn't appreciate magic for what it was, late nights full of torture and even later nights reporting and plotting with the headmaster. His vigilance would never end, always paranoid that the dark lord would find out that he was a traitor. A small vial of poison lay against his breast in a hidden pocket at all times, ready to be of service should he be found out. 

He was never meant to care for the boy. He was supposed to hate the spawn of James bloody Potter. After all, they looked the same and had the same talents so why wouldn't they be identical in every other way? 

It wasn't until he was halfway dead until he realized that he wasn't an identical copy of his father because he had Lily's heart and Lily's kindness. He was just too blind to accept that before. He had her eyes as well, but Harry had emotions swirling in his eyes that Lily never had and he had the courage to take action where Lily would turn away. He fought for what he thought was worth it, while Lily would have stayed the course and waited patiently. Harry wasn't very patient, and he was always determined to get what he wanted in the end. The realization hit Severus like a lorry. He wasn’t his parents. Harry was his own person.

The Dark Lord would surely die tonight. Harry was determined enough to see it through and he will know what he needed to know in order to ensure the bastard died for good. He would make sure it happened the way it needed to. And maybe, just maybe, he'd be forgiven from the one person in the world he cared to have forgiveness from. Sure, being nasty to Harry was a necessary act, but he didn't have to be that mean. He had been downright cruel and only realized his mistakes when he was staring in the depths of those entrancing eyes...

"Ah, Severus, my boy!" Severus started and rubbed his eyes, unsure if he had seen what he thought he had. "I'm afraid it took me much longer than it should have, I've been visiting with Harry. He does ask a lot of questions." 

"Harry? Albus? What's going-"

"Ah, I haven't explained that very well, have I? Not too long ago, Tom destroyed the horcrux within Harry. This place is sort of a...choosing area? I suppose one could call it that. For those who have given much more than what was required and have met an untimely death. You, my boy, have given your entire life to bringing one madman down and you paid for it dearly. You can choose to either go back or to move on. Harry's gone back to make sure Tom is finished for good." It was too much information all at once.

"So I really am dead." The statement left him feeling cold; empty.

"In a manner of speaking. And now you can choose if you'd like to move on or if you'd like to go back."

"Would I even have anything to go back to? Albus, they know I killed you. They won't care that my mentor, my friend was dying, in pain, and asked it of me. They won't care it had to be done for your sake and for Draco's. Who would believe it? The great greasy git of a dungeon bat of harbouring feelings? It will sound outrageous to them."

"Severus, you've spent your entire life looking for happiness. You've paid a great price for the world to live in peace once more. I think happiness is much closer than you realize-and trust me on that one. I've been here much longer than you. It's provided me with a lot of free time to observe the events that have taken place since I've died. Trust me on this, happiness is just around the corner if you go back and remember to keep an open mind." 

The idea that happiness would be waiting for him, that he would finally get to live out his life as he wanted to was too much for him to turn down. Being surrounded by all this white must have been giving him hope for something good in his life. He wasn’t used to feeling hope.

"I think I'd like to go back then. I've never been one to look your advice in the nose." Albus nodded and told him to close his eyes. He did and the world outside his eyelids became dark and he slipped into sleep.

Severus didn't feel pain, but he did recognize that he would probably be too stiff to walk properly for a bit. He inhaled; the clean scent of disinfectant charms and crisp sheets bringing him from the land of dreams all too quickly. He had to be in the hospital wing and the sooner he could convince Poppy that he was fine, the sooner he could get to his own bed for a well-deserved nap.

He readjusted himself and scooted up a bit before opening his eyes. A head of messy hair lay buried under a pair of arms resting on his bed. 

"Oh dear me, I didn't even hear him come back in." Poppy's familiar figure hastened to him and transfigured a chair the man was sitting on into a bed. She readjusted his legs so they wouldn't fall asleep in the curled up position they were in, but she didn't touch his upper body or move his head from Severus's bed. He gave her a questioning look. 

"Harry's only left your bedside for the funerals this morning. He refuses to leave you, especially after some ministry officials tried to have you arrested. The poor dear had just woken up after the battle to find his hero under the threat of the dementor's kiss! He threw quite the fit and demanded that they leave. Shattered all of my windows with how upset he was and now he won't leave your side. Even made me swear that I wouldn’t leave the infirmary unless someone was dying while he was at the services today."

A nagging suspicion started to make itself known as he realized the rest of the hospital wing was empty.

"Poppy, just how long was I out?" His voice was soft, but he was pleased to note that it sounded relatively the same as it did when he didn't talk to anyone over the summer breaks. It was a little rough with disuse but would make a full recovery. He was happy about that, his voice was one of the few things he liked about himself.

"Twelve days." She pulled up a chair, cast a mild sleeping charm on Harry and poured him a glass of water. "Drink that-slowly. Harry managed to defeat Voldemort and immediately took off before anyone could do anything to stop him. The rest of the death eaters were rounded up and taken to the Ministry to await trial. Harry came back carrying you, out of breath from running, and demanding that you receive treatment from me immediately. He had me explain everything I was doing and refused to leave you after that. He had just gotten a few hours of sleep before the ministry tried to arrest you. He's taken to falling asleep the way you saw him, he simply refuses to leave your bedside for fear that you'll vanish."

"But why?"

"He's talked to me a little bit about it, but not much. He admires all that you've done with spying for Albus. Whatever you told him has made him understand how much danger you were in should you slip up. That's all I really know for sure, besides that he considers you a bigger hero than himself."

"Poppy, how did you save me on such short notice? I wasn't exactly in good shape." Her face clouded over.

"No, you were in worse shape than anyone I've ever seen before. You should be grateful that Harry had the forethought to call out for Fawkes to come help you when he did. Those bites were clean, but that stupid snake's venom is difficult to counter in the best of situations. In the end, I had to dose you with several of your special antivenoms and had to give you enough blood replenishers that I could safely drain you of the rest of the poisoned blood that was in your system. It took a lot of effort, but you're a fighter. I worked over you until after lunch the next day without stopping to make sure you'd survive with as little damage as possible." His hand flew to his throat and was surprised to find his skin felt relatively normal. Poppy conjured a mirror and handed it to him.

"There are only six small puncture scars now, they’ll fade with time. I've managed to get the rest to disappear already. These were likely the first three bites, the rest had less venom in them and were easier to heal. And I'm pleased to hear your voice hasn't been damaged, I was a little worried about that." Severus nodded, he'd hardly been focused on his neck at all.

"What did you do to my nose?"

"Oh, that? There's been a lot of study over the last few years of how to fix bones that have set improperly around the face. Had it been a finger, I could have fixed it while you were still in school but so close to the brain was dangerous at best. Harry nearly had a heart attack when he saw what I was doing."

"How...?"

"You have to break the bones and cartilage very precisely in several places so you can safely vanish the parts that are misaligned and follow it with an appropriate dose of Skele-Gro. I've been waiting for spells that precise to be invented before coming to you with it and by the time I had enough practice you were off doing your duty so I couldn't bring it to your attention. I took the liberty of doing it while you were unconscious and wouldn't feel the pain."

Severus was still staring at his nose, incredibly impressed with her skills. It was still rather large for his tastes, but it was finally straight and wasn’t hooked like it had been before. He was shocked to discover that he had a rather fetching face with his nose straightened out. It brought out his more Italian features. 

"Thank you Poppy, I greatly appreciate it. I know it couldn't have been easy." She preened at the compliment.

"It was no trouble dear, and this saved you from any additional time you would have needed to spend here later on." He looked back down at Harry, surprised to hear a small snore. 

"Oh dear, I'll have to wake him. I hate to do it, but he hates the nightmares more than the lack of rest and refuses to take more dreamless sleep. Says it makes him too sluggish when he wakes up. He relives you dying in his arms if he sleeps too long without waking up." Severus reached out a hand and carded his fingers through the disobedient locks. Harry relaxed at the touch.

"Let him rest. I'll make sure he sleeps peacefully. He deserves more than an hour or two without nightmares." She raised a questioning eyebrow at him. "If he dreams of me dying, perhaps hearing my voice will hold the idea of me being dead at bay. I'll wake him if he starts to experience any distress." She thanked him and headed back to her office. 

"Just say my name if you need anything dear." 

Severus laid back against his pillows and allowed himself to relax. Harry sighed in his sleep and reached out to touch Severus's leg and yawned. Severus stopped moving his hand and watched the young man look around. Green eyes met black and Harry smiled at him, relief evident in his gaze.


	2. Chapter 2

"You're awake."

"It would appear I am." Harry gave him a half-smile and yawned again. Large bags were under his eyes with bruises that made him look gaunt and haunted. 

"You haven't been sleeping."

"I've been worried for you." Rolling his eyes at the sentiment, Severus gingerly scooted over and invited Harry to lay next to him on the bed with a few pats to the empty space. Harry looked at him, his eyes swimming with unspoken questions. 

"Come. You need a good rest. If you've been that worried over me, you'll sleep easier if you know I'm right here and alive."

"You're not worried about losing your reputation?" 

"I'm too drugged to even care if we're seen. War heroes are allowed to have a moment of weakness once danger has passed, are they not?" With that, Harry laid down in bed next to him and promptly fell asleep. Severus felt himself being lulled off to sleep with the sound of Harry's breathing and gladly succumbed to the nap he felt coming on.

The two awoke at the same time and Harry thanked him for the nap. He helped Severus sit up and sat up on the bed to face him with his legs crossed under him. Dinner appeared on the nightstand for the two of them and Harry put the tray on Severus's lap before picking up a peach to eat. 

"Is that all you're going to have? I seem to remember shepherd's pie being one of your favourites." Harry shrugged.

"My stomach shrunk while we were hunting horcruxes. This is plenty for me." Severus shook his head and put a small serving of the pie on his plate and handed it to him.

"Eat this as well. You might feel uncomfortable, but I'd rather you not waste away into nothing." Harry took the plate, eyeing Severus’s plate up. 

"I'll eat this if you eat some of that pudding." Severus weighed his options. He hated eating sweets in front of others, particularly tiramisu. He loved deserts and didn't want to embarrass himself in front of anyone. But it was important that the brat get used to eating normal portions once more, so he acquiesced. Besides, he had never turned down tiramisu and he wasn’t about to start.

They ate quietly, each one focused on finishing their meal. Once the dishes disappeared and were replaced with a pot of tea, Severus made himself a cup and decided to ask the question that had been circling around in the back of his mind. 

"What will happen now? I presume some decisions were made while I was unconscious." 

"Well, Hogwarts didn't take too much damage. It looked way worse with all the carnage, but structurally it wasn't anything too bad. Professor Flitwick managed to get most of it back together last I spoke with him." He reached for the tea and busied his hands with making a cup. "All the students from my year are being given the option to either return next term as 'eighth years' or take their NEWTS at the ministry, free of charge. Rumour has it that the few that are considering coming back are still on the fence. Everyone in my year is being offered positions and apprenticeships or they're rich enough to not need a job. I think most of them will jump on the opportunity to move on."

"What about you?"

"I...I don't want to be an auror anymore. I've had enough of fighting. I fought with my relatives growing up, I fought against the rumours against me, I fought Voldemort and his cronies constantly and even had to fight off the public since I turned eleven. I'm just tired of fighting. My backup plan was a healer, but I don't want to see people injured like that again. I can't." A tear slid down his face and Severus had to fight back the urge to wipe it away. 

"Whatever you decide to do with your life now isn't anyone's business but your own. You need to do what you think is right for you. Albus used to tell me quite frequently that when all of this is over I should make decisions for myself and no one else. His advice has always been sound."

Harry seemed to think over his words for quite some time while sipping his tea. 

"I think I'll be returning to school. Hermione and the Weasley's expect me to move on and get a job because they think it'll be too hard for me to be here but...the castle is my home and while I appreciate that Mrs. Weasley wants me to move in with them until I get a place of my own, it's not the same. And besides that, I don’t think it’s a good idea to be living in close quarters with Ginny like that...she’s having a hard time moving on." Severus noticed that Harry wasn't looking up from his tea. 

"Sometimes those who care for us show their love in ways that would only hinder us. You're well within your rights to decline her offer and to continue with your schooling. Merlin knows you didn't have much time to study outside of the basics with all of your...adventures." Harry chortled and smiled up at him. 

"I guess you're right. It would be foolish of me to neglect my studies, wouldn't it?" Poppy came back out from her office and made her way to them before handing Severus several vials. 

"Drink these now, you're still healing. And you," she turned to Harry. "You were supposed to tell me once you woke up!" Harry flinched. Apparently they've had this argument before. 

"Madame Pomfrey, I'm fine. I swear. I've gone this long without having any issues."

"Absolutely not young man, you're getting a full physical and that's final! The deal was I’d put it off until Severus woke up. Severus is awake, which means you’re getting a full physical. Now get behind that curtain and strip to your skivvies. I'm not above telling Severus to hold you under a stunner now that he's awake. And you’ve yet to take your potions today," she scolded as she turned to Severus. Harry's eyes widened and flicked from one to the other while she set a few vials of potions in his lap with a spoon. 

"Harry, you may as well give in to her demands. Even I go through a yearly physical, however unwillingly. I promise you, they're much less intrusive if you just do as she says. The woman is a menace when she's determined. I learned that the hard way." Poppy gave him a grateful smile before glaring at the still full potions. He sighed and started dosing himself with the spoon she provided him with.

"See, if Severus can man up for a physical and take his potions, so can you. Now get undressed before I spell those clothes off!" Harry scurried to the next bed and jerked the curtain closed. 

"Happy now?" He reappeared dressed in only a pair of shorts-even his feet were bare-with his arms crossed.

"Much better!" Poppy's voice lightened and she went about casting the usual round of diagnosis spells. Every now and again she wrote down her findings and tucked her wand away. 

"Dear me Harry, were you always this bad about taking care of yourself before you came back?"

"Why?"

"Well, you're malnourished but anyone with eyes could tell you that. It's no wonder, did you never think to simply summon fish from a lake? Duplicating whatever edible food you three could find is good in a pinch but not long term. Don’t look at me that way, your friends were kind enough to tell me about your traipsing all over the countryside with little medical treatment and even less food. And your finger, did you fracture that while you were out as well?" 

"Yeah, but I took a few drops of Skele-Gro with it in a splint." Poppy's lips formed a thin line. 

"Yes, well...I suppose that's a rather good thing you did. And your eyes are much worse than they were."

"My glasses broke again, they had to be repaired." Poppy tutted at him.

"You know that lessens their strength and directly affects your retinas. You can't just cast a common mending charm at them to get them to fix themselves properly."

"Hermione did it while I was asleep." Madame Pomfrey clicked her tongue once more. 

“How’s your head feeling? You had consistent migraines throughout school and you had some headaches the first few days you were standing guard over Severus. Have they returned?”

“No, they stopped a few days ago. You know I can’t tell you why I had headaches, but I can personally guarantee I won’t be having them anymore. Voldemort was the cause of them and now that he’s gone I think the headaches are as well.”

“Very well. It seems you’re still a virgin, but are you taking care of yourself sexually? Physical release is more than healthy with men your age.” Harry blushed a violent crimson down to his chest and Severus rolled his eyes.

“Poppy, it’s also common for men his age-for men of any age-to be embarrassed by such a question!” She turned on him.

“Don’t you start with me Severus! When was the last time you had a decent wank, hmm? Simply getting the job done when it’s becoming a hindrance isn’t good health either!” Severus felt the blush creeping along his cheeks. 

“Alright, you’ve made your point. It’s been three years since I’ve enjoyed sexual release of any sort. And before you ask, in the prior ten years to that I could count the number of times on one hand. Is that invasive enough to sate your curiosity?” 

“Quite.” She smirked as she turned back to Harry. “So, sexual release. Have you been doing it?”

To Severus’s surprise, the boy shook his head as he started to redress.

“Now I know it’s hard, but you do need to try to make progress in this. You’ve never been one to take notice of physical pleasure, but you do need to start trying. It can cause long term damage to you, and not just physically. I’m not saying to go off to shag everyone you see, but you should try to just let go of your inhibitions. And if you find you can’t, there’s a wonderful potion that you can take that will allow you to not think too hard and only take pleasure in the moment. I can give you one at any point if you think it would help get you on the right track. You don’t have a madman after you now, so there’s no longer any excuses.” Harry nodded and looked anywhere but at the two of them.

“This may not be any consolation, but I planned on making a fresh batch if I survived. If you’d like, I can give you a fresh sample. It’s more powerful that way and tends to taste a bit better the fresher it is. I suspect you tend to overthink what you’re doing.” 

Harry simply nodded again.

“Good, and now that that’s out of the way we can get down to business. It’s high time I talked to you about sex in the wizarding world.” Severus yawned and settled back down for another nap.

Harry had thought that the entire conversation would be embarrassing but he ended up learning much more than he thought he would. Shortly after she started telling him about the various things wizards and witches could do when it came to sexual safety, he found himself more curious than embarrassed.

“You’re telling me that there’s a spell you can cast on the wizard to prevent conception as well? I thought that was just for the girls?”

“There’s a different variant for the man. While one charm will work, it’s always best to do yourself as well-particularly with your notoriety. Some might pretend to cast the spell or miscast on purpose just for the opportunity to carry your child.”

“It’s a good thing I don’t like girls that way then.”

“Still, it is good information to be aware of. Now get some rest before dinner, you haven’t been sleeping well enough for my tastes.”

Severus didn’t go to the awards ceremony, choosing to stay in the infirmary with Poppy and Harry. He’d rather deal with the white crispness than the ministry any day. 

Minerva arrived that evening just before dinner to deliver Harry the Order of Merlin, first class. To his surprise, she also handed him one. 

“Everyone I talked to wanted me to thank you two personally for them. Your work of banishing Voldemort from this world is greatly appreciated. Both of you. Oh and Harry? Have you thought about the offer to return? The others in your year have all decided to move on.” 

“I’d like to return, if that’s alright with you.”

“Certainly. I’ll have your list sent down in a few days and I’ll have living arrangements made for you.”

“Living arrangements?”

“Of course. You’re of age-more so than the seventh years-and that means it would be improper to have you housed with the children. You can still use the common room, but I’m afraid you’ll be banned from the dormitories for propriety's sake. I’ll have a separate set of rooms made available to you for the school year.” Harry nodded and she strolled off as dinner appeared.

“Here we are Mr. Potter. Your new rooms. There’s no password, simply put your hand on the door to get it to open. Professors can come and go as they please just like with the house common rooms but we’ll knock unless it’s an emergency. All I ask is that you don’t have any of the students in here.” Harry nodded and walked into his new rooms.

It was decorated the same as the Gryffindor common rooms, although there was much less furniture and no notice board. There was a desk off to one side, two leather armchairs by the fireplace and a bookshelf already filled with his textbooks from the previous years and some new ones he didn’t recognize.

The bedroom was much the same colour palette with a huge four-poster bed and nightstands on either side. The bathroom was creams and golds-much less obnoxious on the eyes than the crimson red everywhere else-and had both a large bath and rather roomy shower. 

Having taken a look around, Harry went back to the bedroom and started changing the colours. He liked being a Gryffindor, but this was a bit much. The bedroom was soon done in creams and light blues and the living area was redone in medium greens and dark browns. He did keep the Gryffindor banner above the fireplace mantel, but got rid of the posts and curtains on his bed altogether and replaced the plain headboard with a white wrought iron one instead.

All in all, he was quite pleased with the way it turned out and settled into an armchair before cracking open this year's herbology textbook.


	3. Chapter 3

Severus was ready to pull his hair out. He and Minerva had been interviewing potential defence teachers all day and were only halfway through the list. She sighed and slumped in her chair. 

“Were they all as incompetent as they seemed to me?”

“Yes, I’m afraid so. He was the last one for the day. Who did you like best out of today’s batch?”

“Mr. Kenzington seemed the most competent today. However, Mrs. Porter from yesterday has more experience teaching. She may not have ever needed to use her knowledge outside of a classroom but she seemed organized enough.” Minerva nodded and made a few notes before they went down to dinner. They had to pick someone by the end of tomorrow, or they might not have a competent teacher for the school year.

Severus watched Harry happily help himself to a slice of lasagna and a slice of fresh bread from the head table in the great hall. He didn’t know why it surprised him that Minerva decided to continue with one table for the summer rather than simply keeping the house tables there, but it did. From the look of things, it seemed the young man had taken his advice and started to eat normal portions once more. He never ate more than necessary-but he was filling out enough to take away the sharp angles the lack of food had done to him before the final battle.

Shaking those thoughts from his mind, Severus turned towards the wine on the table and poured himself a glass before offering Harry some. Harry looked at him with wide eyes at the offer.

“You are of age and technically a year that doesn’t even exist. You’re being treated as an adult-with everything, including alcohol. However, let it be known that you are not allowed to be sharing this privilege with any of the other students when they arrive, nor are you to be drunk around them. You’re allowed to have one glass of wine with dinners on Fridays and Saturdays if you’d like and can have alcohol when school is not in session-although we ask you refrain until Friday evenings and Saturdays like the rest of the staff-either in your room or with a member of staff.” Harry smiled and accepted a few sips worth of the drink. 

“I’ve never had wine so I don’t know if I’ll like it.” Severus put the bottle down where Harry could easily reach it should he enjoy the treat with his dinner and desire more.

Sure enough, Harry did actually pour a proper glass-Severus was quite happy to see he didn’t overfill it like a certain astronomy teacher liked to do. He was further impressed when Harry seemed to enjoy tasting the wine as he drank, rather than just drinking it. He was glad someone was actually appreciating the wine Hogwarts had to offer for once. 

Classes were an absolute chore the first day. None of the students wanted to pay attention, the new defence teacher had managed to send three students to the hospital wing and frankly Severus was over it by lunch. 

He had decided to forego the dangerous and forbidding teacher persona and tried to just be a normal teacher for the year, but it didn’t seem to be working. All he needed was for the next two classes to calm down enough for him to review the important things from the previous year with them so they could brew tomorrow. 

The class after lunch was just as bad as the morning classes. Wandering eyes, doodling and yawns were just as frequent as the throbs Severus’s head was experiencing. And then finally, finally the last class of the day entered. 

The first student in the door was none other than Harry Potter and to everyone’s shock, he took a seat at the table in front of his desk and placed his book on the table next to a sheaf of parchment, quill poised for notes. Severus couldn’t help but think that the rest of class may have been shocked, but he was downright flummoxed. 

After the class, Harry walked to his desk and smiled down at him.

“Rough day?” Severus nodded, wondering what on earth Harry wanted. “They’re all restless because they want to ask you questions about the war but they’re too afraid to breach the subject themselves. Just thought you should know.”

The next day Severus stood in front of his class, conjured a stool and sat down with one foot on the ground and the other propped up on the foot peg.

“Let’s get this out of the way. Does anyone have any questions for me about anything that isn’t related to this class?”

He was shocked to see all the hands in the room shoot up into the air. One by one, he answered all their questions until it was nearing time for them to leave. 

“I expect you all to be able to focus in class from now on. Potions are volatile things if you aren’t paying attention and can cause serious harm. I’ll see you all Thursday.” The rest of his classes were much the same. 

It was Halloween and a Saturday-a day that Severus was determined to relax on. His feet were propped up on an ottoman and he had a well-read romance open to where he last left off with a pot of tea next to him under a warming spell. He had just turned the page to find out exactly why Madame Holly was receiving a caller this late at night-not that he didn’t already know-when a knock on the door startled him. Marking the page, he put the book down and opened the portrait to find none other than Harry Potter stood there. 

His red rimmed eyes were proof enough that he had been crying.

Severus waved him in and moved aside for Harry to step up into his rooms. He summoned another cup from his kitchenette and offered it to Harry and motioned towards the teapot. 

“What brings you to my quarters?”

“I don’t like to be alone on Halloween. The entire house of Gryffindor wants me to be celebrating with them about Voldemort being gone, but...today really isn’t a day for celebrating for me.” 

“It was the day your parents sacrificed themselves for you. I can understand why you’d be hesitant to celebrate as well as your dislike for being alone. I know I’m a bit biased about your father, but I can tell you about them. At least what I know, anyways.”

“I hear all the time about dad. But no one ever talks about mum. I only know she was good at charms and potions.” Severus topped off his cup and propped his feet up once more before conjuring another ottoman for Harry.

“Lily was talented in those areas, although she much preferred charms. I was often her test subject.” Harry’s eyes widened at this. “Oh don’t look so shocked. It was never anything drastic. In fact, she used the opportunity more than once to force some self-care pampering onto me. I was always studying and she thought I should learn to have a bit of fun.” 

Harry was hanging onto his every word, his tea all but forgotten. Severus had thought it would be difficult to talk about her, but other than the initial twinge of sadness he found it rather lethargic to talk about her to someone that would cherish the memories just as much as he did. 

“Her first experimental spell was to charm a book to keep your spot without a bookmark. I constantly had bookmarks littering my bag, my pockets and my books and she was appalled by the clutter it created. The first one backfired-instead of marking my spot it ripped the page clean out.” He laughed, remembering her frustrated muttering. “The second attempt would keep your spot-by bending the book open backwards to the page you were on and stubbornly holding it that way unless you politely asked it to turn the page for you. The third try did manage to work quite well. You could close the book and when you opened it up, it would flip right back to where you were.” 

“Wicked, I bet Hermione would love that.” 

“I’m sure she would. Many of the Ravenclaws as well, I presume.”

“What else did she create?”

“She once created a spell to paint one’s nails. It’s a variation of the colour-changing charm. She soon after made one that would give you the results of a manicure-or pedicure if you wanted it. Smooth skin, trimmed nails, that sort of thing. Another to apply a face mask, to create piercings in more sensitive places than the ears and even made one to plait your hair for you.”

“She plaited your hair?” Breathing a sigh of relief-really, why did he feel the need to bring the piercings charm up?-he nodded.

“Often she did it by hand but she enjoyed her hair to be out of the way and didn’t have the patience to do it every day on herself. She used me to test it on so she could see if anything wasn’t working properly during the creation process.” He withheld a wince, remembering the first variations of the spell and the mountains of tangles and knots they created instead of smooth woven locks. 

They spent the evening talking about all the charms Lily had created over the years Severus had known her and even wrote down the bookmark charm for Harry to pass on to Hermione should she wish to use it.

Harry smiled the whole way back to his rooms and wrote a letter to Hermione with the charm and to update her on how school was going. She would likely respond later that week on her day off.

He flopped into bed and drifted off to sleep. It would be the first Halloween Harry wouldn’t have nightmares about the night his parents died in a very long time.

After that night, Harry’s relationship with Professor Snape grew exponentially. Sometimes Severus would start talking about Lily and Harry would ask questions, other times they sipped whatever drink Severus was having that night. Usually it was tea, but occasionally he would produce a bottle of wine. It was on one such night just before the start of the holidays that Harry asked the question he’d been wondering about.

“I know you were a spy and all, but how come you never mention people you dated?” Harry didn’t really expect a response, but the wine must have loosened the professor up a bit.

“I didn’t have anyone when I was spying for obvious reasons. As to why I never dated in school, I did have a crush on one of the Hufflepuff boys in my year but it wasn’t received well. He was a muggleborn and they were rather prejudiced at the time.” Harry tilted his head in confusion.

“He?”

“Yes, he. I prefer men. I suppose the right woman could tempt me, but that’s not typically what I enjoy.” Before Harry could even blink, he heard himself asking questions.

“How’d you figure that out? When did you figure that out?” Severus paused, seemingly unsure of how to proceed.

“It was my fourth year when I realized. That was when your father started gaining an interest in Lily and it led me to question why I wasn’t interested in her the same way. I could recognize that she was beautiful but for some reason I wasn’t drawn to her like that. I spent the Christmas holidays here as per usual and while she was at home I did some thinking. It wasn’t that I considered her a sister-I didn’t really know what kinship was enough to make that comparison-but I did love her. I just couldn’t see myself and her doing...well, that. I tried thinking about all the girls I thought were pretty, but I could never quite bring myself to want that with them. So, naturally, I ended up in the library.”

“Naturally,” Harry laughed. Severus raised an eyebrow, which only caused Harry to laugh harder. He knew only too well how absorbed one could get into research if there’s knowledge to be had.

“Precisely. I found a small section on sexual education in the restricted section and started reading. I believe it was the third book I cracked open when it was brought to my attention that two boys could be together sexually. And boy did I feel quite gobsmacked when I realized that I couldn’t picture myself with a girl but I could quite easily with some of the other boys in the school.” Severus took a healthy sip of wine, a sure sign to Harry that he was getting tipsier than Harry had ever seen him before. Usually his sips were calculated, measured and not swallowed that quickly.

“Would I be correct in assuming that you’ve never realized that as well? Oh don’t look so bewildered, you look like you should have a lightbulb above your head.” They both paused at the absurd comment and laughed.

“You’re right, I didn’t realize that was possible until you told me.”

“Oh please,” Severus waved his hand as if to dismiss Harry’s nonsense while he finished the last of his glass. There wasn’t much more than a normal sip, but it was gone so quickly Harry wasn’t sure if he hadn’t hallucinated it. “Don’t try to convince me you’ve never thought about it. Teenagers your age have fantasized about sticking their pricks into anything and everything and it’s not like the intended area on a woman is far from there. One could even pretend they’ve missed just to try it.” Harry couldn’t tell if his face was hot because of the wine or the subject matter.

“Uh...honestly I haven’t thought about it at all. I’ve never really had the opportunity to think about anything but chores up until Hogwarts and then my life was consumed with worrying about Voldemort.” The dark eyes watching him widened. 

“You’re serious. You’ve never even thought about it?” Harry shrugged, feeling quite self conscious. Truth be told, he had never thought about it. He never even had any wet dreams, remembered or otherwise. It was always something that other people had, but not him. He must have said as much, because then Severus responded.

“That’s...my goodness I can’t believe I’m having this conversation with Lily’s son. No wonder Poppy was in a snit after the battle. Harry, are you planning on staying here for the holiday?” Harry nodded. “Good. Take some time to think about it. You’ve had to put off everything in your life for a madman that was after your blood but he is no longer. You can take the time to live your life now, without fear.” 

Later that night, Harry did think about it. He tried to imagine being with anyone but then he realized he didn’t even know what to start with. It was late when he threw on his invisibility cloak and hastened to the library, but he didn’t care. 

It didn’t take long for him to find the sexual education section. It was the only subject that was clearly labeled. 

He pulled down a plain black leather book and opened it to the index. Most of the words were nonsense to him. How in the world would showers play into a relationship? Discarding the text and pulling out one called So You’re Thinking About Sex and sat down to read.

Several hours later and Harry decided he had found the most informative text he could possibly have hoped for. It started at the beginning; puberty. Harry knew he had already experienced that, but decided the best way to learn was to start from the beginning. However basic the information was, Harry was glad to have actual explanations for why the things he’d gone through had actually happened. At the time he was told his body would be changing and he hadn’t paid any mind to it after that. 

Then he came to the part about sex. The book had everything about both male and female bodies and how sex with heterosexual couples went, as well as masturbation. The rest of the book was split into men having sex with men and women having sex with women. Before he knew it, he had finished the entire text. His mind was swimming with information.

The next day, classes couldn’t go by fast enough for Harry. He wanted to properly think about what he had learned the night before and he couldn’t do that while class was in session. It had waited this long, hadn’t it? 

But he was excited to learn more about himself and his desires. It was nice to do things because he liked them or to think about the things he liked simply because he got enjoyment from it. Would this be something he’d enjoy? Everyone else seemed to enjoy it, if his old dorm mates were anything to go by. 

He hurried back to his rooms after the last class for the day let out. 

Maybe there was something wrong with him. Try as he might, he just couldn’t imagine kissing someone. And it wasn’t for lack of trying, either. He had tried every possible person he could think of as remotely attractive, but couldn’t quite do it. It always seemed to fade before anything happened. Frustrated, Harry got up and went to the library once more. 

He had seen fictional erotic books the previous night and figured that maybe a book telling him what to imagine would be more beneficial to get the ball rolling.

It worked, but Harry didn’t find himself getting aroused at the mental image of the princess kissing the pirate that stole her away. He tried closing his eyes and imagining her kissing him instead. Nothing. Nada. Zilch.

Sighing, Harry figured himself to be a lost cause. One of the rare few that simply didn’t experience sexual pleasure. Before totally giving up hope, he tried imagining he was kissing the pirate instead.

Judging by the flip in his stomach and the tingling sensation in his skin, he might be onto something with that. He kept reading, pausing every few sentences to picture the same thing happening to him with the pirate instead of the princess. Soon he found himself correcting the book in his head; instead of her he was correcting it to him. Instead of skirts he was picturing trousers. On he went, until he had finished with the steamy exchange. Armed with the confidence to maybe get through some sort of fantasy without the book, Harry replaced it and made his way back to his bed. 

He felt silly. No, not silly. Downright absurd. Here he was, lying naked in a huge bed with an imagination ready to go and he couldn’t think about anyone to put in his fantasy. Was it weird to imagine someone you knew? Even if you didn’t like them? Severus had all but admitted he thought about him and his mum getting it on just to see what would happen, but was that normal?

But since when had he ever been normal?

The pirate obviously wasn’t his type. In the book he was a dirty blonde-not good. Harry had found himself imagining dark hair instead, but couldn’t come up with anything else. So chucking his original idea for a fantasy out the window, he closed his eyes. 

He imagined a hand sliding over his chest. He shivered, both in his mind and physically. His belly tightened with anticipation. He imagined the smell of something spicy, maybe cinnamon? Anise? A hint of sandalwood, definitely. His mouth watered. Suddenly lips were hovering just above his, not quite touching but close enough that Harry thought he’d be able to feel the magic just under his skin. A firm weight settling over him, and then their lips met. 

He knew it was all in his head, but his body’s reaction was instant. His cock filled and hardened. Without much preamble, he stroked himself and imagined it was this mystery person. He didn’t much care what he looked like to the empty room, so he kept his eyes closed. Groaning, he sped up and felt himself snap as his orgasm washed over him. Just as he was done ejaculating, Harry opened his eyes and briefly imagined the face of Severus Snape looking down at him.

Somehow, he came again.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Translations (in the order they appear):
> 
> Cosa posso aiutarti a trovare?-What can I help you find?
> 
> Stiamo ampliando il giardino al Prince Vineyard. Abbiamo bisogno di pietra per i sentieri del giardino.-We are expanding the garden at Prince Vineyard. We need stone for the garden paths.
> 
> Che cosa?-What?
> 
> Questi sono disponibili in pezzi più grandi?-Are these available in larger pieces?
> 
> Questo ti eccita?-Does this turn you on?
> 
> Perché?-Why?

The two met just outside of the castle gates with their belongings the day after the students had been sent home for the summer. Severus pulled out a small broken quill and offered the other end to Harry. He touched it and with a whispered activation word the two spun off towards Severus's childhood home.

They landed in front of an elaborate wrought iron gate with a cursive P decorating it. Severus smiled as they approached the house.

The house was more of a large cottage than anything. It was on top of a small hill and thick ivy was climbing the stone walls to cover most of it in a lush green blanket. Harry loved it.

"It's not very big, but there's a spare bedroom just down the hall from mine. Come, it'll be cooler inside." They hurried inside to get out of the blistering sun and Harry's jaw dropped. They had walked into a large living room that bled into a huge kitchen with plenty of seats at the island. A spiral staircase led down to somewhere and a hallway jutted off to the side. The back wall was almost entirely made from glass-one huge window overlooking a giant vineyard. There looked to be the remnants of a vegetable garden off to the side as well.

"Severus, this place is amazing!"

Severus was busy glaring at all the dead potted plants that decorated practically every surface.

"It's lost a lot of its luster in the last decade. It would appear they couldn't keep up with the place towards the ends of their lives; however, I haven't exactly had time to care for the place since inheriting it. It needs work."

"Well, I'm happy to help. I'm good with gardens and cleaning, just let me know where you want me to start." Severus smiled and shook his head.

"Put your things away first. You can pick which room you'd rather sleep in, they're both the same layout, just different colours." Harry went and plopped his trunk down in the room decorated in pale lavender before joining Severus in the kitchen.

"We'll have to go shopping, I didn't think to send anyone ahead to stock the cupboards or cold box. Would you like to come with or would you rather stay here? There's an apparition point just outside of town behind the local grocery shop." Harry linked their arms, smiling at the prospect of hearing Severus speak in Italian again.

They landed a few moments later in the sun and Harry followed Severus down the main path. Venders were set up everywhere with tables overflowing with random goods. Severus bypassed them all and entered a small building. Harry followed him so closely that he was surprised he hadn't treaded on Severus's heels.

A small woman was already talking to Severus, words being passed between the two at a rapid pace. Severus was smiling up until her tone changed. If Harry didn't know any better, it looked like he was being chastised.

"Harry, this is Madame Celano. She's rather put out with me at the moment, but she's fiercely loyal to those she cares about. When I was young I'd bring her grapes from the vineyard and she'd give me snacks to take back to my grandparents." They gathered essentials; flour, sugar, coffee, milk, eggs and the like. With their arms full, they apparated back to the kitchen where the two of them started putting things away. It had gotten rather late in the afternoon while they were out and Severus glanced at the clock.

"Gracious, is that the time already? Come, we've got to see what the garden has managed to yield on its own this year." They made their way through the small garden in the back and came up with hardly anything. The few vegetables that had managed to start growing on their own weren't ripe and Severus started muttering about needing to propagate more seeds from what little remained. They had better luck in the vineyards. Harry had learned that the property finances had continued to pay a local youth to care for the vines, so there were plenty of grapes to harvest.

They ate a meal of grapes, cheese and bread for supper.

"So, what needs to get done? What do you want to do first?" Severus blinked at him in surprise but recovered quickly.

"Tomorrow we shall clean the house out. We have to see what we can save from the plants, if anything, and then the entire place needs a good cleaning. Then, I'm going to retrieve the seed book and plan out next year's garden and if there's time we have to set to weeding. Those tomatoes in the back are being choked out by the morning glories and I'd rather not lose those particular hybrids to an overgrown weed."

The two of them went to work the next morning. Harry went outside and started weeding, pulling anything that wasn't supposed to be in the raised beds. By the time he was done, the sections he had weeded looked almost barren in comparison. Severus came out to get him for lunch and complimented his work.

"If you keep this pace up, you'll be done by supper. Come inside for lunch, I've been cleaning." The kitchen was almost spotless, making the living room look grungy and positively disgusting. Harry thanked him for the food and they ate quickly, each one eager to get done for the day. Harry went outside to continue yanking the invading plants out of the garden beds and Severus started in on the living room.

They were sitting in the pair of armchairs by the fire when Severus pulled out a rather large binder and a large sheaf of parchment. Upon closer examination, Harry could make out what looked to be the cottage as well as the established garden beds and the start of the vineyard in the distance. The parchment was laid on a conjured table and Harry scooted closer to get a better look.

"What are you doing?"

"This is my grandparent's binder of seeds. We keep track of each hybrid and store the seeds as well as information on them in this binder." He opened it to a random page labeled 'Sevvymatoes' with a dated envelope and some pictures. Blushing, Severus blatantly ignored the name. "Every year we pick extra seeds and store them away for later. Each envelope is dated with when the seeds were dried and each variant has the growing requirements, the name, parent plants if it's a hybrid, the scientific name and photos of what the plants look like. Those are likewise dated so you can see what the plant the current seeds came from to get a better idea of what will grow." Harry practically ogled the pictures. The tomatoes were huge, almost the size of dinner plates, and they were a deep red with purple stripping. "This particular hybrid took me ten years to get right. Normally, it only takes three or four."

"That's incredible," Harry breathed. He could hardly believe they were real, let alone that huge and gorgeous to boot.

"They are quite popular with the locals for tomato soup. Two of these could feed an entire family quite easily."

"So are you planning out the gardens then?" Severus nodded. "Can I help?"

"If you'd like to dredge up enough brainpower to assist me, then you may. I don't believe my grandparents had the soil enriched the last few years, so we'll have to plan out what beds need which fertilizers. I was thinking of putting the bell peppers here…" They talked long into the night about the gardens, finally taking a break for the night when Severus yawned.

The next morning they started in with the planning once more at the island in the kitchen. Harry had given several well-thought-out ideas and was surprised when Severus not only considered them but agreed with his reasoning on quite a few. They had gotten halfway through the binder when Harry finally asked how on earth they were going to fit all of that in the space they had.

Severus paused, clearly thinking about his answer.

"My grandmother always wanted to expand the gardens, but they had a hard time keeping up with it all unless I was here to help them. She resigned herself to having a smaller garden because they had to keep up with it while I was in school. They started downsizing to keep it manageable. It used to come all the way out to here," Severus started drawing dotted lines, showing where numerous other garden beds had been located when he was little. "I was planning on expanding these beds to this area here and making a small pathway so you don't get your shoes dirty if you're just picking the vegetables." Harry turned the page in the seed binder and came across cucumbers.

"If you wanted to nudge that garden a little further West then we can build a wall the cucumbers can climb and we can have some partial sun plants on the other side. They'll get morning sun and won't shrivel up in the afternoon sun that way and putting it out a bit will help prevent these beds from getting too much shade."

Severus stopped chewing the end of his biro and smiled at Harry. "That's a rather brilliant idea. I knew there was a reason I kept you around." They laughed and moved on to the sunflowers and corn.

It took them a full week to figure out exactly how they wanted the gardens and to map out with colored stakes in the ground how each bed would be spaced. It then took the two of them another month to get all the weeds pulled and the new garden beds turned. The compost pile at the edge of the property was turned and then they mixed a good portion of the compost with the dirt in the new garden beds. They thought it best not to disturb the beds that had plants growing in them, so that would happen when they broke out the fertilizer in the spring.

Severus took Harry out to the greenhouse then and the two of them spent a day cleaning it out and preparing it for the fall.

"My grandmother was really quite inventive, she managed to get ahold of a decent mason worker and got him to build a small fireplace to heat the plants in the winter months."

"I was wondering about that. Doesn't it get too hot in here?"

"Oh no, not too much. She had it magically altered later. It keeps track of the temperature. Once it's below a certain temperature, it'll restock itself with small pieces of wood and light another fire. Rather genius, if you ask me. But it does have to be filled with wood chunks twice a day, just to be sure it doesn't run out." Once the greenhouse was done, the two aparated to a stoneyard.

"Cosa posso aiutarti a trovare?" Harry looked around at the many samples of rocks and stones while Severus dealt with the Italian shopkeeper.

"Stiamo ampliando il giardino al Prince Vineyard. Abbiamo bisogno di pietra per i sentieri del giardino." Harry recognized the name Prince and also recognized the look of astonishment and then eagerness that followed. It was the look people meeting him for the first time gave him. Apparently the vineyard was really well known.

The man prattled on and gestured to quite a few different stone samples. Many of which Harry didn't like at all and Severus had passed by several others.

"What if we're barking up the wrong tree?" Harry had made his way to the other side of the shop, away from the flagstones and bricks.

"Che cosa?" Harry looked over to see Severus leaning out of an isle, looking at him with confusion.

"Uh…" Harry chatisized himself for losing his ability to speak at that exact moment. "I meant, what if we did something along these lines instead? I don't like the way the brick looks and you don't seem to like the flagstones, so I thought maybe something like this would be a better place to start?"

Severus shook his head and thought for a minute longer than necessary before smiling.

"You know, you might be onto something with that line of thinking." He joined Harry by the cobblestones and nodded slowly. "Do you like any of these?"

Harry shrugged. "I mean, I'd want them bigger than this. If they're too small, they'll just hurt your feet."

"Questi sono disponibili in pezzi più grandi?" Severus turned to the shopkeeper as he stuttered on about something. Harry tried not to shiver as the two conversed.

They were shown more stones, and the two gravitated towards the charcoal grey ones. They did end up ordering the same colour flagstones to line the beds as well. Their next stop-a lumberyard-was to pick up trellises and thin, long logs they would use to build the wall Harry had thought of during their planning. With the properties accounts a bit lighter, the two went back home before Harry practically pounced on Severus.

The Italian had driven him crazy the entire day, and he was unable to contain himself any longer. He wrapped his arms around Severus's hips and gazed into the deep brown eyes in front of him.

"Do you have any idea how sexy it is to hear you talking in Italian?" The eyes grew wide and pink blossomed on pale cheeks.

"Questo ti eccita?" Severus sounded breathless, and Harry couldn't resist any longer. Their lips met and Harry practically melted at the feel of the soft skin sliding against his own. It was innocent, as far as kisses go but Harry couldn't deny that he wanted the man in his arms. Their lips separated as their foreheads met.

Chocolatey brown eyes gazed at him, questions swimming in their depths.

"Perché?"

"Because you're beautiful." The answer shocked them both, but Harry managed to not let it show. It was true, even if he hadn't really admitted it to himself before. But it was true. Severus was only two or three inches shorter than him and had flawless pale skin. His eyes, such a deep brown they appeared black from farther away, were expressive when one cared to look close enough. And he blushed quite nicely. Now that he didn't have the hard and cruel exterior, he was kind and soft. Harry smiled and leaned in once more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Translations (in the order they appear):
> 
> Cosa posso aiutarti a trovare?-What can I help you find?
> 
> Stiamo ampliando il giardino al Prince Vineyard. Abbiamo bisogno di pietra per i sentieri del giardino.-We are expanding the garden at Prince Vineyard. We need stone for the garden paths.
> 
> Che cosa?-What?
> 
> Questi sono disponibili in pezzi più grandi?-Are these available in larger pieces?
> 
> Questo ti eccita?-Does this turn you on?
> 
> Perché?-Why?


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Translations (in the order they appear):  
> Signore Prince?-Mr. Prince?
> 
> Sí?-Yes?
> 
> Mia sorella Bella vuole sapere se hai bisogno di aiuto l'anno prossimo per vendere prodotti.-My sister Bella wants to know if you need help next year selling produce.
> 
> Non sarà fino al prossimo anno, ma potrei aiutarmi. Portala entro la prossima primavera e la sistemeremo.-It won't be until next year, but I could use help. Bring her by next spring and we'll get her set up.

The two spent countless hours working on the garden beds. The stone had come in and they set the cobblestones aside in favour of turning and fertilizing the dirt and then lined the beds with flagstones. The wall took almost an entire week to get it built and treated for the weather on its own. Needless to say, Harry was exhausted at the end of every day and from the looks of it Severus was as well. 

Severus outlined when they would be starting to grow seeds in the greenhouse and roughly when each plant would be ready to be transplanted to the ground. The only issue was, they still had a long time before much could be planted. They would be starting lettuces and some hardy root vegetables now for harvest just before the cold really settled in and then they’d have to wait until after Christmas before they could safely start growing more of the less hardy varieties in the greenhouse. 

“Let's go out to the vineyard today.” Severus looked up from his oatmeal and raised an eyebrow.

“What’s got you so curious about the vineyard?”

“Well, there’s really only a handful of small things left to do that won’t take hardly any time at all and we’ve been so productive I just thought we could take a day off of work and enjoy what we have here already.” Severus seemed to think on that, and he smiled when Severus started nodding.

“I’m not opposed to checking up on the vines. I’ve been debating if I should continue my grandfather’s wine or if I should simply sell the grapes as they are. There’s far too many to be of use to just us.”

“Your grandfather made wine?”

“Yes, he quite liked it. It didn’t take too much effort, only a bit of space and time. It was his pastime, they used to give out bottles as gifts. I’ve actually found quite a few bottles from his last batch that have been stored away.”

“What else is down in that cellar?” 

“Not much else besides that. They kept extra preserves down there so they didn’t take up room in the fridge and have a freezer they kept excess meat and premade food in as well. Grandmother would premake a ton of meals with leftover vegetables and fruits and simply freeze them for the winter. All they had to do was take it out of the freezer and bake it.”

“That’s ingenious.”

“Yes, well one does what they must. They grew up learning all of this because they were in such poverty. The two got married young and with what little money they had saved, bought the property just up to the vineyard. Their gardens did so well, they were able to make enough off of the produce in town that they could afford the land the vineyard is on now and the wine they sold paid for the greenhouse.” Harry listened with rapt attention. 

“That’s fascinating. I’m a bit sad I can’t meet them, if I’m honest. They sound like wonderful people.” Severus smiled a bit, just a turn of his lips.

“They would have liked you.” 

They finished their meal and made their way out to the vineyard, both carrying large baskets. Severus showed Harry what to look for in the grapes and told him to simply pick entire bunches rather than individual fruits. They only made it a quarter of the way through the first row when their baskets were full and a young teenager found them. 

Severus and he conversed for a few minutes before the teen nodded and left to return to wherever he had come from.

“That was Luca. He’s been taking care of the vineyards since my grandparents passed.”

“For free?”

“No, what a ridiculous notion. His pay is taken directly from the property account and transferred to his once a month. He was asking if I still wanted him to help or if we no longer needed him.”

“What did you tell him?” They turned to start heading back to the house. 

“I asked if he wanted to continue. He likes the work, and his family had benefited greatly from the pay since he started. And from the looks of things, he’s been motivated enough to take care of the vines even without supervision. I told him he could continue working as he has been if he wanted to. He’ll be picking the rest of the grapes for us this week and will continue to do so as they ripen.” Harry was glad the teen still had a job and even happier when they took a lunch break.

Over the next few weeks, Severus and Harry would spend each morning in the greenhouse tending to the seeds as they sprouted and spent each afternoon making wine in the cellar. It wasn’t so complicated, but it didn’t make too much sense to Harry. He just liked helping crush all the grapes in the hand turned contraption that Severus had. It wasn’t until they were transplanting lettuce plants that anything really changed. 

Luca was walking up to them with a young girl behind him. She was pretty, but still obviously young. 

“Signore Prince?” Severus looked up, leaning back so he wasn’t bent over. 

“Sí?”

“Mia sorella Bella vuole sapere se hai bisogno di aiuto l'anno prossimo per vendere prodotti.” 

“Non sarà fino al prossimo anno, ma potrei aiutarmi. Portala entro la prossima primavera e la sistemeremo.” The two went back the way they came, positively beaming.

“What was that about?”

“Oh that was Luca’s sister, Bella. She wants to help us sell produce next year, I told him to bring her by next spring so we can get her set up. We won’t have anything for her to do until then. Besides, she’s got school during the fall and winter months so she wouldn’t be able to help for long this year anyway.” Harry looked up at Severus and smiled. The man had a bit of colour to his skin now, although he insisted on constantly taking anti-burn potions to prevent himself from getting too much colour. It was clear that Severus was thriving being here and working on things he enjoyed. The stress lines that had been etched into his face during Harry’s school years were disappearing and even his eyes had lightened with emotion.

Harry found himself reaching for Severus’s hair, tucking a lock that had fallen into his face behind his ear. Severus startled and looked up at him; they stayed like that, eyes locked, for what could have been seconds or a century. Time didn’t seem to matter to Harry enough for him to care. 

Their lips met in a wonderfully sweet dance. Severus was practically melting into him and he pulled the man closer. 

“You know, we have to get these plants in the ground before night falls.” A bright blush painted Severus’s cheeks. Harry chuckled and they set about finishing their chores for the day as the sun set and the afternoon cooled into early evening. 

Harry emerged from his shower to find Severus in the kitchen with more parchment and the blueprints of the grounds they used to plan out the gardens. 

“What are you working on?” 

“I’m trying to find a decent place to add a space for entertaining in the back. I’d like to be able to have somewhere other than dirt to sit if I want to relax outside.”

“Like a patio?”

“I suppose. I’m not sure a patio quite describes what I had in mind since I just wanted a chair and table but I can’t decide if I’d rather it be by the tomatoes or the sunflowers.” Harry leaned over and thought for a moment before responding.

“Do you have another bit of parchment and a spare quil?” Severus summoned both and handed them over. Without preamble, Harry started sketching.

“Don’t mind the crappy artistic ability, but what if here,” he pointed at a point towards the middle of the garden where they had just planned on having grass. “What if we put this there?” He slid over the parchment he had been drawing on and Severus’s jaw dropped. 

Harry had drawn an entire area for entertaining. There was a fire pit that looked to be dug into the ground just a bit with seating around it and off to the side was a small pavilion complete with barstools, countertops and a grill. He had also included what looked to be plants surrounding the entire thing to give a feeling of seclusion from the world. 

“I never thought in a million years I’d be making my home into a place for entertaining others, but I do quite like this. And if we start on it before the ground freezes we just might be able to use it next spring when the weather warms up.” 

The two of them mapped out the firepit and took another trip to the store they had gone to for stones. It took some back and forth, but eventually they came to an agreement on how large the actual fire area would be and how far away the seating would need to be to be close enough to be warmed but not so close as to be dangerous. They started laying down stone once it arrived and soon enough the weather was turning biter and cold. 

Neither one of the two liked it one bit.

Severus had taken to spending his time working on wine in the cellar and Harry would follow him down there to help out any way he could. It wasn’t long before Severus was saying they would be ready to bottle the wine up soon.

“So soon?”

“Grandfather had his wine recipe and techniques down to a science. This particular wine is a cabernet sauvignon and should be aged in the bottle for five to ten years. You can still drink it now, or you can choose to let it age longer, but generally five to ten years is the best flavour for the time waited.” Severus stood and pulled out a dusty bottle from one of the wine racks behind him. “This one, for example, is from about fifteen years ago. This one will have more complex flavours and will have changed a bit over time compared to what we’ve been making. That will just be bland in comparison.” 

“Oh, like how people age.” Severus did a double take and gave him an odd look. “Hear me out! Kids don’t have any depth to how they feel, it’s all singular emotions but as they grow they start to feel multiple emotions at once. Like if a family member suffers through a sickness for too long and they pass away, you learn to be sad that they’re gone but happy that they don’t have to suffer anymore.” 

“That’s...a remarkably accurate analogy.” Harry beamed. “I will say, there’s quite a bit of wine stored down here. I didn’t realize just how much of this he held onto. There’s at least sixty bottles here that are within their optimal age range from what I can tell at a glance.” The two of them sorted through the wines through the rest of the day, Harry separating the bottles by year and Severus setting aside all the bottles they would be selling. 

“Whoa, there’s got to be at least a hundred bottles there!” Harry had turned to see bottles all over the worktable and on surrounding shelves.

“I lost count at a hundred and twelve. I’m shocked he managed to find room for all of this.”

“Did your grandmother maybe have the cellar expanded at any point like she did with the greenhouse? Maybe he had a bigger setup somewhere else.” Severus pulled out his wand and started casting spells to, no doubt, find out if there was a hidden door somewhere. 

It paid off when a door opened to reveal a huge room with hundreds of wine bottles around the walls and much larger versions of the wine making tools they had been using. Severus’s jaw had dropped and Harry was blown away.

“Holy shit.”

“Holy shit is right.”


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Translations (in the order they appear):
> 
> Per favore, Harry. Toccami.-Please, Harry. Touch me.
> 
> Così bello…-So beautiful…

The two managed to get all of the wine separated and sorted through before Yule came. Severus had wrapped several bottles and sent off a few to friends and the rest he didn’t send with owls went with them the next time they went to town. 

Harry couldn’t help it, and splurged a bit with the groceries. Severus had tried to stop him from doing so, but Harry insisted and ended up paying from his own money so Severus couldn’t refuse. Harry was determined to have an amazing spread for Yule and Severus wasn’t about to stop him. 

They ended up cooking together as well, with Severus working on the sides and Harry taking care of the small turkey he had bought as well as the pumpkin pie he wanted. It wasn’t long before the entire cottage smelled incredible. 

Once everything was plated, Severus brought up three bottles of wine and set two of them down on the table before opening the third and pouring them glasses. Harry eyed him suspiciously, but Severus only smiled.

“My grandfather would be abhorred if we didn’t drink at least a full bottle of this on Yule.” It was the only explanation that Harry received on that subject and they tucked in.

The wine was amazing, and the food was just as good. When they were both full, they packed away the leftovers in containers and went to sit in the living room. They both had received gifts from friends and they ripped them open, each one determined to make more of a mess than the other. Wine was still flowing freely and the two became more giggly as time went on. 

“Look at this! Just look at this...monstrosity! What in the blazes am I to do with this?!” Harry held up a large fake wand, courtesy of the Weasley twins. He brandished it, sticking it straight up into the air and a small bit of clear liquid squirted from the tip. 

Severus dissolved into a fit of laughter, only laughing harder when Harry asked what was so funny. 

“W-wha’s th-that note say?” Severus was still laughing in random bursts, holding his abdomen from how hard he was laughing with tears streaming down his cheeks.

“‘Dearest Harrykins, we hope you like this new prototype for some more adult fun, love The Twinsies’. Why?”

Severus snickered, clearly trying to regain control over his laughter and failing spectacularly. 

“Adult fun?” Harry quirked an eyebrow. “Oh don’t tell me you don’t have any clue...It’s a dildo Harry.” Realization sunk in and the two fell into fits of laughter once more. 

“Oh bloody hell, I can’t believe I’m that dense! How have you not killed me out of sheer frustration?”

“Because the look of realization is worth every second of idiocy I put up with. And I will say, I’m glad to see the Weasley twins putting their minds to more practical things.”

“Are you saying dildos are practical?”

“Far more so than a snack that turns you into a bird.” Harry didn’t really know what to say to that, but he was saved from having to respond. “I would much rather have an oversized wand to relieve some stress than the ability to fly for a few minutes. Besides, if you know how to use that right, you won’t need to be a bird to fly anyway.” Severus blushed at what he just said and occupied himself with more wine from his glass. 

Harry, on the other hand, saw an opening and took it. He stood and made his way to Severus, tilted his head up and pressed their lips together. 

Severus tasted of that blasted wine that Harry liked so much. With a firm swipe of his tongue, Severus opened for him and Harry dove in. He loved every tiny whimper that left Severus’s mouth, every single gasp drunk in as it was made. 

At some point, Harry had pulled Severus to his feet. He scooped Severus up into his arms and carried him to Severus’s bedroom, the wine charmed to follow them. Harry put Severus down on the floor and licked and sucked his way down Severus’s neck. He paid special attention to the crook of his neck, clavicle and Adam’s apple, loving the sound of Severus gasping and moaning while clutching at his robes to keep himself upright. 

“Harry…”

“Yes?”

“Per favore, Harry. Toccami.” Whatever Severus had just said, Harry had no idea but he quite liked the way it sounded, especially paired with Severus guiding his hand down to the bulge in his trousers. 

“Fuck, Severus. Are you sure?” The man blushed and all the brazen courage he just had seemed to slip away.

“I’m not ready for everything, I don’t think. But some things I think I’d enjoy if you were doing them.” Harry groaned and made quick work of Severus’s shirt. He latched onto Severus’s nipples and guided him down to the bed. Severus lay there, arching under him, as Harry set to work on the sensitive nibs. As Severus babbled on in some combination of English and Italian, Harry got his hand into Severus’s trousers and then his boxers as well. He wrapped his hand around the velvety steel flesh and ever so slowly brought Severus to orgasm. 

Severus tried to return the favour, but Harry stopped him. 

“I didn’t take off your clothes because you said you weren’t ready for everything. I, on the other hand, don’t mind if you want to see me starkers. Do whatever you want to do, I’m positive I’ll enjoy literally anything you do.”

“You sure?” Harry nodded and let Severus undress him slowly, his long fingers exploring new territory. He was down to his boxers when Severus paused, running his fingers along Harry’s silk-clad erection. 

“Fuck, that’s nice.” Severus blushed, but apparently the words had encouraged him to pull the boxers away as well so he could see Harry in his full naked glory. He touched, gently at first and firmed his grip when Harry moaned his name. 

“Così bello…” Harry arched at the Italian falling from Severus’s lips, finding some sort of iron will to keep his hips from moving off the bed. It didn’t take long after that before Harry was telling Severus that he was close. Severus’s eyes darkened and his hand increased in speed ever so slightly and Harry came undone. 

He barely managed to keep his eyes open, but the pleasure had blinded him anyway. He blinked and saw Severus eyeing his come on his long fingers. A pink tongue came out and licked a stripe of white off of his hand and Harry almost came again. 

That didn’t stop Severus from smiling and leaning down to lick up all of the come that had landed on Harry’s chest and stomach. By the time it was all gone, Harry was hard again and so was Severus. The minx leaned down once more and licked a trail right up Harry’s cock before wrapping his lips around the head and sucking. 

Severus looked up at Harry from his position and Harry almost came undone right then and there. He looked so innocent and thoroughly debauched all at the same time. Harry carded his fingers through Severus’s long dark locks, keeping their eyes locked. 

“Look at how pretty you are with your lips wrapped around my cock. You’re very good at that, you know.” Severus’s eyes fluttered as a moan escaped him. He would have melted into a puddle at Harry’s words, had the man not been intent on sucking his soul through his dick. “Fuck, you’re so good at that.” Words failed him once Severus had started employing the assistance of his tongue, rubbing along all the ridges of his cock that it could reach and it wasn’t long before Harry was coming into Severus’s mouth. The minx, without any instruction or suggestion from Harry, managed to catch it all in his mouth and swallowed only when Harry was watching him after his orgasm. 

If either one of them noticed that Severus had come in his pants while he was sucking Harry off, then neither one of them mentioned it.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Translations (in the order they appear):
> 
> Aria, è ora di svegliarsi.-Aria, time to wake up.
> 
> Papà ha finito di parlare?-Is Papa done talking?
> 
> È ora di tornare a casa, cara.-It's time to go home, dear.
> 
> Casa?-Home?
> 
> Sì, l'orfanotrofio.-Yes, the orphanage.

Harry woke up slowly, wrapping his arms around Severus tighter to make sure he was really there. He was warm and cosy curled up around him and smiled before drifting back off to sleep.

When they talked about what had happened the previous night, Harry was incredibly happy to hear that Severus wasn't opposed to it happening again. They smiled at each other and went about their morning.

By early spring, Harry's friends had gotten used to the idea of him and Severus being an item of sorts. They were all ecstatic to see the vineyard and small oasis that the two of them had turned the property back into. Every single one of them oh'd and ah'd at the fire pit and the women had practically lost their minds at all the flowers. The men stood in awe in the cellar, gazing upon all the bottles of wine they had and asking dozens of questions.

The two of them took everything in stride, even when Minerva showed up and demanded to know why Severus hadn't sent her an owl prior to the invitation (sans Yule, of course). Harry had managed to smooth it over, buttering the transfiguration teacher up with tales of the small town and Severus's ingenious greenhouse. He received a grateful glance later on when she had admitted that she wasn't upset since he was clearly busy improving his life. Although, Harry did hear that she requested that they invite her over more often.

Every Tuesday Harry and Severus made their way to town to visit Luca's sister Bella at the little stand she had set up to sell their produce at. Once the villagers heard that Severus was going to start selling the wine at the stand when they had time, Harry had become an instant hero. They couldn't believe that Harry had managed to convince Severus to continue selling the popular drink, and many came to thank him directly when they could-even though Harry couldn't really understand him.

Although that was getting easier. Severus had taken to using Italian more and more around the house, replacing some words in his vocabulary completely before simple requests altogether. Harry was learning quickly, but wasn't proficient enough to really understand the locals when they got excited. That would come with time.

It wasn't long after that when the two of them finally went all the way. Severus, it turns out, loved being impaled by Harry and Harry in turn loved seeing Severus arching beneath him and incoherent.

That fall, the two of them had decided to take some of the excess wine from the more valuable years down to the city to sell. A large number of collectors were there, desperate to get their hands on a bottle. Harry had to go back to get more of their surplus from the regular stock for those that couldn't afford the incredible bidding prices the rich were putting down on the bottles they had brought.

The two made more in one day than they had planned on making in half a decade.

Once they had sold out completely, Severus was sucked into a conversation about the vineyard and Harry wandered off to view the fountain at the end of the street. A middle aged woman with about a dozen children of varying ages soon joined him, the children running around and the woman sitting off on a bench near him. He joined her and asked about the children in tentative Italian.

She replied slowly, giving him time to work through what she was saying. Apparently they were orphans that she would take in. She couldn't have any of her own so she vowed to spend her time watching over them while they needed her. Harry and her continued speaking, eventually switching over to English.

"What are you up to?"

"We were just talking about the children. Well, Aria specifically. She's quite shy, but she seems to have warmed up to me." Harry looked down at the small girl that had curled up in his lap, her dark hair covering her face as she slept.

"You are too modest. She refuses to talk to the other children, let alone strangers. Aria, è ora di svegliarsi." She yawned and rubbed her eyes with a small fist before blinking up at Severus with her large cerulean blue eyes.

"Papà ha finito di parlare?" Her voice was soft, like a gentle spring in the woods. Harry wasn't sure why the comparison struck him as true, but it was spot on.

"È ora di tornare a casa, cara." She frowned at the woman in confusion as her eyes started to water.

"Casa?"

"Sì, l'orfanotrofio."

"Oh…"

Harry's heart broke when he saw Aria lose the fight with her tears. She didn't wail, but somehow he knew it would have hurt less if she had. He looked to Severus and Severus looked back at him.

"Are you really sure Harry? She only speaks Italian." Harry felt his heart soar with hope as he soothed Aria by running his hand up and down her back.

"I'm sure." Less than two hours later they had adopted little Aria, much to her pleasure. Harry wasn't sure just how to raise a child, especially one so young, but Severus told him he did quite well. They were ecstatic when she showed signs of being a witch.

Both Harry and Severus had cried the first time they had to scold her for getting into the spicy pepper plants. She ended up soothing them, promising that she'd stay away from the spicy plants from now on. Sometimes, they swore she was older than they were.

On the next cookout, everyone fell in love with little Aria-even if they couldn't understand her. She had learned a few words in English thanks to Severus's tutoring and Harry was speaking in Italian quite fluently-as long as he was only talking to Aria, that is. Adults knew more words than he did and spoke too quickly, but Aria was a patient and articulate child which helped Harry immensely.

Severus couldn't stop smiling at the two of them, and Harry couldn't believe his luck when Severus agreed to marry him the next year. Aria had just turned ten and was delighted that she'd be able to be their flower girl just before heading off to Hogwarts. She was nervous about leaving them and being all alone, but she'd already come so far socially that they were confident she'd capture the hearts of everyone around her, both in her year and above it.

The wedding was picturesque to say the least. The ceremony and photos were in the vineyard and the reception was in the garden. Aria spent hours twirling in her brand new pale yellow dress full of lace and magically preserved flowers from her personal garden bed. Even though the wedding was originally supposed to be white and black, Aria had insisted that she wear pale yellow to make the flowers look better. Apparently white and black were too plain, and so the wedding colours changed to pale yellow and sky blue.

Before they knew it, Aria was hugging them goodbye at platform nine and three quarters. She was holding herself together, but was visibly worried.

"Aria, it'll be alright. We have plans to be visiting Hogwarts in two weeks, you'll see us when we visit. And besides that, you could charm a vampire into submission." She giggled. "That's better. Just keep that smile on your face and you'll do brilliantly." They sent her off and spent the afternoon walking around Diagon Alley before heading back home.

Neither one of them could be happier to learn that she was a Hufflepuff when she wrote to them after her first night away. Letters came daily, and they replied to her every night keeping her updated on her garden beds and the new varieties of cantaloupe she was trying to breed. They couldn't have been happier.


End file.
